Into The Dark
by Inky Iris
Summary: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King Jr. Who knew the course of a single bullet could change so much in the life of a fifteen year old?
1. Chapter 1

Well, here it is! The story from which the excerpts of 'Cloud Shapes' was drawn. It is not fully written or finished, so I can't promise a certain schedule, though I'll try to keep one (school work and finals and all that tends to get in the way. Like the seven pages of my research paper I need in an hour XP ).

**Need to know:** I took out or moved a lot of the episodes to play with the timeline. Here's the basics: No TUE, Reign Storm, Maternal Instincts, My Brother's Keeper, or the one with Walker invading the town. In other words, Maddie doesn't know Vlad's in love with her. Jazz doesn't know Danny's secret, Amity has no idea of the existence of Phantom, and Ultimate Enemy and Reign Storm didn't happen. This is around the beginning of the Fenton Menace (not really important, just giving you a sense of where it is, if you want to know. Danny is fifteen, Jazz is seventeen and graduated early.

Thanks to my amazing beta, Rosalind2013, and my writing buddy, Rajana Stacey. Without them, this chapter wouldn't be finished right now, or half as good.

* * *

Danny never knew what to do with his hands. They were always so excited, wanted to touch everything. They could get him into trouble when they grabbed something they shouldn't, like one of Daddy's 'experimince' or a cookie before dinner, but sometimes they could be helpful. Sometimes, Daddy told Danny that he needed a pair of five-year-old hands and, even though Danny was five _and a quarter_, he would help Daddy with 'experimince'. Sometimes, he could watch beakers of green 'exoplastic', as long as he didn't _touch_ them because the 'exoplastic' is too_ hot_ when it boils (which Danny _knew_ because he wasn't four), and make sure they didn't turn funny colors, like purple. It never did, but Danny was happy to help, anyway. Sometimes, his hands even got to stir stuff. It was so _cool_ do have a Daddy who was a ghost hunter!

Then Danny was eight, and he watched his Daddy pour _ectoplasm_ (only six year olds thought it was exoplastic, and Danny was _eight_) into beakers for _experiments_ (not _experimince_) and sometimes he wanted to help. Sometimes he just wanted to go outside and play with Daddy, and sometimes Daddy would say yes. Other times, Daddy would yell at Danny and tell him to leave him alone and _don't touch those_! Danny would feel as big as his thumb and go upstairs. Then, when it was time for bed, Daddy would come take him outside and they would lie down and look at the stars. He would pull Danny next to him, close, and tell him about the stars and their constellations, which Danny couldn't always say right. Danny would feel so safe and he wouldn't feel thumb-sized anymore, and he would fall asleep, so happy.

When Danny was eleven, he didn't see Dad the same way. The man who he had seen as some superhero was embarrassing. His job was weird and not like anyone else's dad's jobs. Kids made fun of him for it. Danny didn't know why his Dad couldn't get a _normal_ job – even Jazz wanted him to! Besides, believing in ghosts was for little kids. There were no such thing as ghosts and _everyone_ but Danny's parents knew it. He didn't understand why they had to act so weird. He hated when kids laughed at him because of Dad. He stopped talking to Dad for a few days. It wasn't fair.

At fourteen, Dad built finished the ghost portal. It didn't work, of course, and was kind of creepy. It shouldn't be creepy – it was just useless junk – but it was. Dad had spent three years on it, and it was huge. Danny could fit in it, and Sam convinced him to go in. His hands got him into trouble again, hitting the 'on' switch as Danny stumbled. Dad had put the button on the inside. Excruciating pain flooded him and changed him. He couldn't tell Dad. He just couldn't see that disappointment in his eyes at the fact that his only son was one of the things he hated so much. He may have been frustrated by his Dad, but Danny never wanted to let him down. He still loved the man, after all.

Fifteen years old, everything was different. Danny still had his hands, still had his powers, but he was missing something much more important than that. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. How was he supposed to keep going when the world had stopped around him? It wasn't fair. He wanted Dad's stupid jokes and rambling lectures on ghosts. He wanted to watch Dad work on experiments, inventing and refining. He wanted Dad. He would even wear the stupid orange jumpsuit, if Dad was there. He would tell Dad his secret and help him go after evil ghosts and ask his advice about girls. He would do anything. He just wanted Dad. Unfortunately, Dad was the one thing he wanted that he couldn't have.

* * *

The rain poured down, matching Danny's mood. It pounded softly on the window panes of his bedroom, a simple, steady cadence. The teen rolled over in bed, pulling the pillow over his head. He pressed it down harder over his ears, as if to muffle everything he could hear, from the rain to the murmur of voices downstairs. He swallowed, or tried to around the lump in his throat. He wasn't going to cry. He wouldn't. Pressing it down until the fabric had no more give, the pillow didn't help any. His knuckles turned white, the creases of the pillowcase making red lines in his palm. He should go downstairs and see everyone. His mom would probably be missing him. A bitter, muffled laugh escaped him into the mattress. No she wouldn't. She hadn't looked at him for three days. He didn't want to walk into the living room with Jazz and his friends and so many people and see her and Vlad. See her avoiding looking straight at him and Vlad looking at him sympathetically as he tried to get Maddie to turn to Danny, to see him. To _look_ at him. No, he was just going to stay here, with the rain pounding harder and overwhelming his senses. Thunder rolled, quieted by the glass in the window and Danny shoved himself up. Even with the thunder, he could hear them talking. Crossing the room, he threw his window open, a gust of wind hitting him in the face. The rain poured inside, dripping onto the carpet. He leaned out, feeling the rain soak his face and hair. He still wouldn't cry. He wasn't. It was raindrops. It was. It was, he convinced himself as his hands gripped the sill and his arms shook.

He wasn't crying. Not for anything. He was a guy. He wouldn't cry. After all, he had never seen Dad cry. Slowly, Danny sank to his knees and rested his head against the wall. No, he'd never seen Dad cry, had he? Dad laughed, Dad talked, Dad yelled, but he never cried. Danny clenched the windowsill as he heard a knock on the door. He didn't answer.

"Danny?" Sam's voice came through the wood and Danny could hear her clearly, even over the rain. Stupid hearing. "Danny, can we come in?"

"Hey, man," Tucker's voice joined the goth's, "You all right?"

After a moment of silence, interrupted only by the rain, the doorknob slowly turned. The door slowly creaked open, and two sets of footsteps padded across the floor. He could hear their clothes rustle as they crouched down, Tucker squatting on one side with Sam kneeling on the other. Danny didn't turn to face them, didn't say anything. Tucker settled into a seat on the carpet and Sam sighed sadly, but didn't say another word. Danny didn't know how long they all sat there before Sam pushed herself to her feet and closed the window, stopping the water that soaked Danny's hair and clothes. In the sudden almost silence, Danny swallowed. "I can't believe he's gone."

The words escaped his mouth, and, suddenly, he couldn't stop talking. "It's not right. He shouldn't be gone. He _can't_ be gone! I can't drive and I don't know how to fish and he just _left_! He _left_ me! He's gone, he left, and now I'm all alone. What am I supposed to do now?" He'd _left _Danny and now _Vlad _was there and he wasn't acting like he was supposed to. He shouldn't be nice or normal or not creepy. He should hit on Mom and try to recruit Danny and not be like _that_! "He – this – it shouldn't be like this! Everything is different and it's all _wrong_ and it's all _my_ fault!" Danny pulled in a shaky breath, his voice quieting. "It's all my fault. I should have been there. I should have been there to help him or _something_, but I was _stupid_." He'd gotten detention after not doing his homework _again_ because of ghosts and fought Youngblood on his way home and he could have _saved_ him and he didn't. "I didn't save him! Now, he's gone and there's no one around that – nobody to – I'm – Augh!" The wordless cry expressed everything he couldn't say, couldn't put into words. His pain and despair, his _loneliness_ and pain. His anger at the world and at himself. Nothing was right anymore. He barely registered Sam and Tucker's arms around him and their overlapping voices.

"C'mon, man, that's not true-" Tucker reassured.

Sam shook her head, rubbing his arm. "Oh, Danny, listen-" She comforted,

"Not your fault-" Tucker continued.

"There was nothing you could do-" Sam whispered.

Tucker shook his head. "Dude, you couldn't've stopped it-"

"It isn't your fault-" Sam soothed.

"No way-" Danny tuned their voices out.

Their reassurances murmured around him, mixing with the sound of the rain and the soft conversation from downstairs, deafening him. He swallowed hard, trying to tune it all out. He stared at the water dripping off of the cuff of his button up onto the already soaked carpet the his knees pressed into. The knees of his black dress slacks were sopping from the moist carpet. He shivered slightly. It was a little surprising, considering he didn't get cold easily. His shivering increased in severity, the shuddering rattling his teeth and making his eyes water. He dragged in breaths and felt his friends' arms tighten around him. After a few seconds, he pushed himself up, Sam and Tucker's arms falling away, and turned towards the door.

"I'm going to dry off. I'll see you guys downstairs." Danny's voice was emotionless and flat. After a moment, he heard a reply.

"Danny… we're here for you."

Swallowing again, Danny walked out of the room. Grabbing a towel out of the closet in the bathroom, he toweled off his hair before looking at himself in the long mirror on the back of the door. His collar and the tops of his shoulders were soaked, along with his sleeves from the cuffs to halfway between the elbows and shoulders. He could feel the shirt damp on his back from where the water had dripped down his neck. Dark patches spread over his knees, but the rest of his shirt and pants were fine. He just needed his suit jacket and he could cover the wet spots; the ones on his shirt, anyway. No one would be looking at his knees. Sighing, Danny tossed his towel in the hamper and exited the bathroom. Snagging his jacket on the way, Danny headed down the stairs. From the top, he could see everyone, a mass of black with faces on top. His mother stood between the kitchen and the couches, Vlad at her side. Danny swallowed hard. She looked so tired and sad.

His gaze moved to find his sister. Jazz was standing listlessly near the hall, a few friends around her. Sam and Tucker hovered around the middle of the room, looking uncomfortable with all the older strangers around them. Slowly, he began to walk down the stairs, as quietly as he could. He scuffed his shoe against a stair, near the bottom, and caught himself from falling. The halfa straightened himself, his eyes meeting Vlad's as the man turned to look at him. Mom's eyes followed Vlad's gaze, glancing to Danny. The teen looked down, not wanting to see Mom look away from him. It was with a spark of surprise that he heard her footsteps moving towards him. His head snapped up as she stopped in front of him, her eyes glancing over him.

She frowned slightly, before slowly carding her fingers through Danny's damp hair. "Danny, why is your hair all wet?"

Danny just looked at her as she stared back into his blue eyes. He half smiled.

Mom laughed and pulled him into a hug, her laughter hitching as she held him tighter. "Oh, Danny."

Carefully, Danny returned the hug, leaning into her as she began sobbing in earnest. Her arms tightened and he felt another arm around him. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught sight of Jazz's red hair, pulled back with a black hairband. Quietly, he extracted one of his arms and wrapped it around his sister. They clung together with Vlad standing to the right side and Sam and Tucker to the left of him. He squeezed Mom and Jazz tighter.

After a moment, Danny's grip relaxed and Jazz straightened. Mom took a step back and leaned into Vlad, who put a comforting arm on her shoulder. Jazz turned to her friends and Danny walked away with Sam and Tucker.

* * *

Danny had originally been very opposed to Vlad's presence. He had come home, arms loaded down with shopping bags, to see an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Assuming it was a new detective, Danny just continued to the door. Jazz had been sitting in the kitchen, looking through a Harvard booklet. He'd put the bags down and had started to put the stuff contained inside away, before asking Jazz who the car out front belonged to. Jazz had barely glanced at him. "Remember Mom and… and Dad's old college friend, Vlad Masters?"

Danny'd stiffened. The car had been nice, he could tell that. If it was Vlad's… Almost robotically, Danny turned towards the table. "Jazz, where is he?" His sister's eyes kept skimming the information in the packet and it was all he could do not to incinerate the papers with a careful ectoblast. But, no, he wouldn't do anything like that anymore. He was done with his ghost half. He raised his voice instead. "Jazz!"

Starting, she looked up at him. "Danny! What is it?" Her face was lined with concern containing the slightest edge of annoyance. Danny took a breath to calm himself down. Jazz didn't deserve his anger – she didn't know why he was so opposed to Vlad being at their house. That being said, though…

"Where's Vlad?" The tone of his voice was tight and controlled. He was going to keep his temper. Vlad just better not be causing any problems for his mom, because she didn't need anything else. If he was… Stopping using his ghost powers or not, Vlad was going out of his house and he was _not_ coming back. Mom didn't need some rich, lonely jerk hitting on her right after Dad… died. Danny's fury flared. "Jazz?"

She scrutinized him. "Danny, what is it?" He let out a breath. Vlad was probably with Mom right now. Eyes narrowing, the teen started towards the stairs. "Danny!" Jazz leapt in front of him as he passed the table. "Calm down!"

Calm. She wanted him to be _calm_. "Why did you let him in here?" She was the only one who would've answered the door and she would've made the decision to let him in. Why in the world would she do that? Didn't she _see_ Vlad last time? When they went to the reunion? Sure, she didn't know that he was Plasmius, but she saw him flirting with Mom. Didn't she think it odd or suspicious or convenient for him to show up now? Why did she let him in!? More agitated by the second, Danny made to move around her, but Jazz cut him off again.

"Danny, they're _friends_! Maybe Mr. Masters can help her!" Danny almost laughed. Since when had Vlad been interested in helping anyone but himself? From what Danny knew of the man, Vlad was selfish and self-serving, only doing things and using his powers to get ahead. If Vlad had had his way, Dad would have died long ago, the day of that reunion. Why should he let Vlad spend another moment within fifty miles of Mom? Shaking his head, he tried to move around her.

"Help her? Jazz, last time Vlad was around Mom, he was hitting on her. I don't think she needs that kind of _help_ right now." Danny spat the last words. He knew he was being crueler than necessary to Jazz, but he was so angry. Vlad shouldn't be here, especially not with Mom, in her room, right now.

"Danny, stop! Mom doesn't need you barreling up there and charging in right now, either! I don't think Mr. Masters would do something like that, Danny. Have some trust." Trust? He did trust Vlad. Right up until the moment he captured Danny and admitted to trying to kill Dad so he could have Mom. The man wasn't worth the time. "Leave them _alone_, Danny!" She trusted Vlad. Vlad didn't _deserve_ it.

"How long has he been here?" He asked, as the ominous thought occurred to him. How long had he been up there, alone with Mom, poisoning her mind and twisting words and coming off as everything he wasn't, as something other than dirty, lying scum? Danny had been gone for nearly an hour at the store. What if Vlad had gotten here just after Danny left? What had he been doing to Mom? Closing his eyes, Danny fought to keep them blue and utterly _normal_. The last thing Mom and Jazz needed now was for Danny to show them that he wasn't totally human, that half of him was something they – Mom. Something Mom hunted. They didn't need that right now, any more than he did. And he was stopping using his powers, stopping going ghost. He wasn't going to do that anymore. It was his fault and his ghost half's that Dad was gone. If only Danny had been better, the son that they wanted, that they deserved, everything would be completely and totally different. Dad would be here and he wouldn't be dealing with Vlad.

"Danny," Jazz continued to say something appeasing, but he tuned her out. If she wasn't going to move, fine. He was getting over to the stairs, one way or another. He wasn't going to hurt her – he would never – but he could always jump over the table, slide over the counter, or duck past her around her chair… The table sounded like the best option, the quickest. Without another word, he turned towards it, only to stop in his tracks as his eyes fell upon the bottom of the stairs, barely visible outside the doorway, and the slippers that were descending onto the carpeted floor of the living room. He took a step forwards, barely noticing Jazz moving to mirror him. Was it really Mom? Had Vlad really gotten her to get up, out of bed?

"Mom?" On the edge of consciousness, he noted the abrupt end of Jazz's monologue as she, too, turned to the doorway. Mom stepped through it, her smile tired and worn, but it was there. Her hair was combed and she had a robe wrapped around her pajamas that hung loosely on her. Focusing on Jazz, Mom smiled, then glanced towards Danny – for a split second before she shifted her eyes to a spot barely to the right of Danny's ear, eyes moistening. Danny frowned slightly, before putting it to the fact that she was tired. Maybe she was having a hard time focusing. He wasn't sure how it was possible to lay in bed for three days and be tired, but she seemed exhausted. Not that he blamed her – Mom had the right to curl up and not move. He was so happy that she was up, though. She wasn't hurting herself in a circle of depression, like she had been since she returned from identifying Dad's body at the morgue.

Danny took a step forward before noticing another pair of footwear coming down the stairs, fancy, black, dress shoes. He swallowed. Vlad. A moment ago, he had been ready to go off on the man, throw him out and expose him, but now the teen was unsure what to do. Vlad was standing behind Mom, looking genuinely worried. Mom was out of bed, and she wasn't crying. She wasn't crying right now. At that thought, Danny wanted to worship Vlad, thanking him for that. Mom wasn't crying. She was even smiling. Maybe Vlad could deserve a chance. Maybe he wasn't all bad. If he was there for Mom, if he was _helping_ her… maybe he was okay. Maybe Dad's death had changed him as much as it had changed the Fentons. Maybe… maybe Vlad _was _okay. With a deep breath, Danny steeled himself to accept Vlad's help for as long as the man behaved. If he did one thing wrong, though, Danny wouldn't hold back.

Vlad's eyes met Danny's own, careful but full of honest concern. After a moment, Danny nodded. Vlad inclined his head, and, breaking eye contact, Danny moved forward to hug Mom. He ignored the way she hesitated before hugging him back, and pretended the slight stiffness in her embrace was from being still for the better part of three days. That was it. It was. It had to be.

* * *

It was cold. Goosebumps ran down Danny's arms as the wind swept through the streets. Mist came from his mouth and he shuddered, watching as Sam and Tucker didn't show any sign of chill. He knew what that meant. His friends leapt to their feet, alarmed, but Danny stayed sitting. He'd stopped using his powers in the two weeks since Dad died. It was because he had been using his powers, and not home when he should've been, that Dad was dead. He wasn't going to let anyone else down because he had been playing 'ghost hunter' with his powers. He had real responsibilities, _human_ responsibilities, and he needed to concentrate on those.

"Danny! Come on!" Sam turned to him angrily. "Aren't you done with this _yet_? That could be Skulker or somebody else dangerous! You _need_ to face your responsibilities!" Tucker touched Sam's arm, to stop her tirade. The words had already been said, though, and the damage done.

Eyes flashing green, Danny pushed himself off of the park bench, the anger that constantly ran under the surface bubbling up. How dare she? "What? Done with what? Done with not endangering people for my own stupid, exciting adventures? Done with actually doing the right thing for once in my life? Done with making sure no one else gets killed because of me? No. I'm not. And I don't have a _responsibility_ to do that. No one gave one to me, we just decided on our own. Did you ever think, for one minute, that this is _wrong_ or unnatural or _not supposed to happen_? Or do you just think about how cool it is to be half ghost? Well, you know what? If you want these powers, fine! You can take them!" He whirled around, not wanting to give Sam a chance to argue or apologize.

"Danny, wait!" Freezing, Danny only stayed still long enough to reply.

"Leave me alone!" Then he was running, and if his ghost side gave him an extra edge in speed and stamina, he ignored it. It wasn't him. He wasn't a half-ghost-boy any longer. He was just Danny. Another burst of frigid air came from his mouth and he skidded to a stop. He wasn't trying to run right towards it! Spinning, he halted as he came face to face with the ghost. He felt his eyes glow green. It was Youngblood. The young ghost shot a ray at Danny's feet, and Danny took a step back. It looked like the kid had finally escaped from the Ghost Zone. It didn't look like his skeletal sidekick had escaped with him, as the animal was nowhere in sight. The boy was dressed differently than he had been when Danny last saw him. Chaps and boots replaced breeches and a peg leg, and a fringed shirt with a neckerchief was where the pirate's coat had been. He also now had both hands and a cowboy hat. Last time Danny had seen him was the night that Dad died. It was Danny's fault Dad was dead, but if Youngblood hadn't been there, then maybe Dad could have been saved. The teen took a half step forwards, then paused. What if he was needed somewhere else? What if Jazz or Mom needed him? He shouldn't do this. He needed to learn from history. He shouldn't do this. There was no possible way for this to end well. He should walk away. His hands shook with suppressed anger, but he calmed himself with some difficulty.

"Howdy, y'all!" Rage filled him again at the young ghost's smirk, but he pushed it away, though it was so much harder this time. He wasn't fighting Youngblood again. He just needed to walk away. That's what he should do. That's what he _needed_ to do. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath and turned away, silently seething. When he opened his eyes a second later, it was to find that Youngblood had swooped in front of him. Danny scowled. The young ghost poked him in the chest, hard.

"Come on! What are you doing?" The young ghost's face was confused as he squinted at Danny, and poked him again. "Ain't there supposed to be a high noon, shoot 'em up showdown?"

Danny stiffened and clenched his fists, the blood leaving his face. Was Youngblood doing this on _purpose_? Was he choosing the right words to make Danny _want_ to blast the mouth right off of the kid's face? Restraining himself forcibly, though it was harder with every second, Danny took a few breaths through his nose and took a few steps back. He turned again, starting to walk swiftly away before he did something he didn't want to do, before he let his anger get the better of him. He shouldn't fight this battle, though he wanted to. He wanted to – he should walk away.

In a second, Youngblood was right in his face, leaning forwards until his nose nearly touched Danny's. The kid scowled and poked him in the chest. Hard. "What? You yellow bellied _coward_! Running _home_ to your _mommy_ and _daddy_?"

He saw red.

Without another thought, Danny transformed. Launching himself at the other ghost, he saw the uncertainty flicker on the spectre's face for a split second before Danny barreled into him. They flew for several feet before slamming into the ground. Panic was in Youngblood's eyes as he turned himself intangible, but Danny just held on, turning intangible as well. After a second, the young cowboy-dressed ghost slipped out of the halfa's grip and flew upwards. Danny flew faster than he ever had before and smashed into the ghost from the side. They tumbled for a moment before hitting the ground once more, Youngblood pinned beneath Danny. Pain ripped through the teen as he pulled back a fist lit with ectoplasm and threw it into the younger ghost, not aiming, nor caring where the blast hit. He hit the boy again, then again.

How dare he? How _dare_ he? What was his _problem_? Did he think it was _funny_ that Dad was dead? The next blow was harder. Was he _seriously_ taunting Danny about his _failure_!? What was his problem? That _stupid idiot! _What in the world did he think he was doing? Oh, yeah, let's laugh at the fact that _your dad is dead_ because of _you!?_ Danny _hated_ him! That little, stupid, know-it-all, freaking _jerk_! What the heck was his _problem?!_ What, since he was already dead, he thought that people dying, _Dad_ dying was _funny?!_ Did the kid have some sort of issue with sadism, or was he part of the 'Let's Make Life _Miserable_ For Everyone, _Especially_ _Danny_!" club, like _every_ single other _stupid_ ghost in this _stupid_ town was? Did he hate Danny, or Dad, or did he just have some sort of death wish!? Well, if _that_ was what Youngblood was looking for, then Danny could _give_ it to him. In fact, he might even be _happy_ to grant the wish! Then _no one_ would _ever_ be hurt by the stupid ghost ever again! Then no one would have to _lose_ a family member, no one would have to _die_, and no one would ever have to be _failed_ by Danny _again_ because of Youngblood. Maybe it would be _best_ to destroy the thing, stop it from _killing anyone else_!

Heedless of what were now whimpers from the young ghost, Danny continued pounding into him. Again and again, his ectoplasm-enhanced fists tore into Youngblood until the kid's begging penetrated Danny's haze.

"Please, stop, please, please, please, please, please, stop! Please, stop! Stop it, _please!_" Danny drew back to hit the boy again. "I'll do anything, _please!_"

"Anything?" Another wave of fury and pain, _despair_, rocked Danny. "_Anything_?! It's too late for that. It's _too late,_ because he's already _dead!_ You want to do something?!" Danny roared, "_Bring him back!_" The ectoplasm flickered over Danny's sore, prepared fist.

"I _can_ help you, _please_!" The terrified ghost pleaded, his voice rocketing to a higher pitch at the end. Danny paused.

"What?" He shook his head, voice hitching, "Don't lie to me! You can't help me, or him. You can't bring him back!"

"Please, I know who can!" The kid could barely speak through swollen lips, "I can help you, _please_, I _can_!" He sniffed wetly as tears mixed with ectoplasm streaked his face. "Please, listen to me!"

Danny stayed still, fist still raised, breathing heavily. Shudders wracked his body. What if Youngblood was right? He didn't think the ghost was lying, not now. He sat back slightly and really _looked_ at the kid. Guilt ran through him, pooling in the pit of his stomach. The boy's lips were swollen and split and he couldn't open one eye. Burns from the flaming ectoplasm and bruises decorated his face, and Danny averted his eyes. He swallowed and got to his feet, off of the kid. Still looking away, Danny rubbed away the traces of wet that he hadn't realized soaked his own cheeks, trailing in streams from his eyes. It was from the wind, he was sure. He _hadn't_ been crying. Taking in a deep, shuddering breath, the teen glanced back at Youngblood. The boy was still lying there. Danny hadn't noticed it before, full of anger and hatred and hurt, but Youngblood was paler than the halfa had ever seen him, a shade away from invisible. As he stood there and watched, Youngblood _flickered_. Fear bolted through Danny. What if he _had_ killed the younger ghost? Was it even possible? The kid still didn't move and a bitter, sour taste slipped into the back of Danny's mouth. He killed him. He killed him. He _killed_ Youngblood. He was a murderer. Wide eyed, Danny stumbled back. His stomach rolled and he gagged. He _killed_ Youngblood. Before he could do anything more, movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention. Youngblood was slowly, carefully, sitting up. He was alive – well, sort of. Danny sagged in relief. He had been so frightened, so scared of becoming just like those men who broke into his house to get stuff and money and ended up shooting Dad. He never wanted to be _anything_ like that.

The streets were empty and soundless around them. The overcast sky let loose a flash of lightning, followed minutes later by a crack of thunder. Danny swallowed, shamefaced, as, with some effort, Youngblood floated up into the air. The childlike ghost was definitely looking the worse for the wear and Danny felt revulsion towards his actions as he looked at the kid. He was fifteen, he should know how to control himself. He should know better than to let himself go crazy.

For a long time, neither ghost spoke. Finally, Youngblood opened his mouth. "Clockwork."

"What?

Youngblood didn't look at him. "Clockwork is the name of the ghost. …I'll take you to him tomorrow. Today, I… I can't…"

Danny opened his mouth to protest, but another look at the boy killed the words in his throat. Instead what came out was a strangled, "Okay."

Youngblood kept his eyes away as he flew off, and Danny closed his own. He shouldn't have done that. His eyes caught sight of the pavement where Youngblood had been lying. It was actually cracked and _indented_. Green ectoplasm stained the sidewalk in several places, pooling most severely in the deepest depression. The breath caught in Danny's throat and his stomach roiled as he realized that that dent was where Youngblood's _head_ had been. Danny bent over, clutching his stomach and gagged again, dry heaving. He would _never_ hurt someone like that again, Danny decided firmly, guilt and regret rolling through his entire body. How was he going to face the young ghost tomorrow?

Ah. Tomorrow. Did Youngblood really know someone who could help him fix everything? Maybe tomorrow, everything could be changed. Dad could be back, and everything would be okay again. He opened his mouth, testing out the name on his tongue and teeth, "Clockwork."

* * *

Let me know what you liked, didn't like, would change, etc. =) Hope you enjoyed!

Don't own DP, TT, or the song 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark', whence the title comes. Check out Kurt Hugo Schneider's version (that's what I was listening to as I looked for a title =) )

Next time:  
_"That's Clockwork's lair."  
"I need your help."  
"It is not wise to see possibilities of the future."_


	2. Chapter 2

Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa! And Boxing Day, because I most likely won't be updating before then and might be working at least a half day, not that I mind. I have some of the next chapter written, I just need to edit it. That's why this chapter is shorter, because it's been split from the next chapter.

Thanks to my fabulous beta, Rosalind2013! She's amazingly fabulous =J

* * *

When Danny walked in the door, the first thing he saw was Mom sitting at the couch in the living room, coffee table littered with papers. He looked down, away from her, as he stretched his sore hands, flexing the fingers. Mom had glanced up warily at the door's opening, but was now staring back down at the papers in front of her. She scribbled something down and punched something into a calculator. Danny made his way over to her.

"Hey." He winced. His voice was hoarse from yelling, rough and raspy in tone. He licked his chapped lips.

"Hello, Danny." Mom pushed a paper back and lifted another sheet forward. After a second, Danny opened his mouth again.

"What are you doing?" It was almost awkward, making conversation like this. The stiff, uncomfortable, tense environment had pervaded the house since Dad died. Mom still hardly looked at him and they barely talked. Part of that was the fact that Danny spent most of his time, now, out of the house, at the park, or at Tuck's place. Part of it was because… Things had changed between them after Dad died. Danny didn't know how to explain it. Ever since that day, things had been different. Even now, as Mom answered his question, she didn't look at him and the conversation felt stilted.

"I've been meaning to tell you, and I suppose now is as good a time as any. We're moving, Danny."

For a second, Danny didn't register what she was saying, mind still back on the streets near the park. The realization of what Mom said brought him back quickly. "Wait. What? Where?"

She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "To California. Jump City, in Solano county. It's off of the bay."

Danny opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. "Why?" He finally managed. He had friends here, he had a life here. Yeah, Jazz was leaving to go to college, but that didn't mean that they had to uproot and move too.

"I, uh," Mom let out a breath. "I think it would be good for us to have a change. To have a different environment." She smiled slightly, but still didn't look at him where he stood across the table. Danny swallowed.

"But what about school?" That was the only thing he could think to say, to put into words. He didn't know how to say that this place was where he grew up, where Dad took him to his first movie and to the observatory. He could understand wanting to move houses – even he wanted to move houses – but cities entirely? _States?_ She wanted to take him away from everything and everyone he'd known to go to _California_? He didn't want to move.

"It will be a perfect time to go, since school hasn't started yet. We can get you enrolled in a good school down there – maybe Jump City Central High School, or Bay View High School. It will be a new start, a clean slate. You can start over, Danny." She glanced up at him with a small, forced smile before looking away again.

Every protest died in Danny's throat as he saw the look in her eyes. She looked so tired, and even defeated. Mom didn't get defeated. She looked almost hopeless. Swallowing again, Danny nodded. "…Okay." Surprise flashed in Mom's eyes as she looked up for a moment and Danny nodded again. After a minute, Mom smiled, in surprised relief, and nodded in return before going back to the sheets of paper on the table.

Quickly, Danny strode across the room to the stairs and nearly ran up them. Finally, he was in his room, alone, and he stood for a moment breathing heavily. Then, the teen slumped against the back of the door, staring in mute horror at his hands. They were still sore and he flexed them. He could see Youngblood's face, pale and swollen, the ghost actually flickering. Had he really come that close to destroying the kid? The boy had barely been able to float, much less fly away. Danny didn't know how the young-looking ghost had managed it. Danny blinked and drew in a shuddering breath. He had nearly _destroyed_ Youngblood. Completely destroyed, obliterated, _wiped out of existence_. He had almost been as bad as the men who had shot Dad. He hadn't been serious about destroying the kid, or even hurting him that badly. It had just been a _thought_, a stupid, passing thought that he had never intended to act upon. He never meant to go that far, he just lost control.

Still breathing hard, Danny turned over his hands and froze, bile rising in his throat at the sight of a small spot of green ectoplasm on the palm of his left hand. The sight blurred as his hands began to shake and he fled through the doors to the bathroom. It was only once he was hunched over the sink that he realized that he hadn't touched a single doorknob – he had gone through the doors intangibly. He had used his powers, just like he had told Sam he _wouldn't_. He scrubbed furiously at his hand, clenching his teeth as he rubbed harder. Every single time he used his powers, someone got hurt. Two weeks ago, it was Dad. An hour ago, it was Youngblood. If Clockwork _could_ help him – could stop the accident that killed Dad – then maybe he could also stop the accident that gave Danny his powers. Wouldn't that just be easier for everybody? No one would ever have to have gotten hurt because of him. What use were his ghost powers anyway? It would be better not to have them. He was done with this. Finally coming to a decision, Danny stilled and the water continued running, turning red as it touched his hand. He was going to get rid of his powers. No matter what it took.

* * *

Danny took a deep breath as he opened his eyes. The afternoon sun steamed steadily into his room and he lay there for a second, staring at the ceiling. It was a bit of a struggle to get up lately. He wouldn't go to bed until late, and sleep for longer than he ever had before. Despite the long hours, it was a light sleep and he barely got any rest. Getting up was different, though. It wasn't like he was needing to go back to bed, but like there was this exhaustion he just couldn't shake. He had no desire or motivation to get up. It was just so much easier to lay there. He sighed, still unmoving. He needed to get up. There was something he needed to do today, something important. He couldn't quite remember what it was, but it was nagging at the edge of his consciousness. Something to do with yesterday, with Youngblood…

Danny bolted upright. Youngblood was going to take him to Clockwork, a ghost that could help, that could maybe save Dad! Danny didn't bother with changing his clothes, just transformed straight into Phantom and took off. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to meet Youngblood, or even if the young ghost would keep his side of the bargain, but he was hopeful. Maybe he should just head back to the street he had seen Youngblood last. Danny winced at the memory. He really hadn't meant to hurt the kid that badly. He had just been so _angry_. It had been almost irrational, how mad he had been. He bit his lip and shook his head. He was _still_ angry, crazy as it was. There was nothing really to be mad at right now, in this moment. Nothing except his fury at his own failure. But, somehow, it seemed more than that. He was madder than he should be, and he was angry _all the time_. It wasn't just a once in a while thing. It was constant and burning, like an itch under his skin. Some days it was barely there, other days, he felt like he would explode if someone so much as _breathed_ wrong, and it was hard keeping it under control. It was something he was working on.

As he reached the street, two down from the park, he once more winced in regret. The rain last night had cleaned the site, but the pavement was still dented. People gave it a curious glance as they walked by, some standing around the indentations, trying to figure out what had caused them. Danny hovered, invisible, above their heads. He had tried to hold back, but that was one instance where he had exploded. He really needed to work on his control. As the teen floated there, he shuddered involuntarily as a mist came from his mouth, his ghost sense going off. So Youngblood – or some other ghost – was around here, after all. Danny flew straight up, until those below couldn't really see him, and made himself visible. He only had to wait half a second before the young ghost appeared in front of him. The kid wouldn't look straight at Danny and he felt irritation surge up again – why was _no one_ looking at him!? – but he pushed it down. He didn't need a repeat of yesterday – he had promised that he wouldn't do anything like that to anyone, ever again.

"We'll have to go into the Ghost Zone." The boy's voice was soft and Youngblood still didn't meet the teen's eyes. Danny swallowed. He hadn't thought of the fact that they might need to go into the Ghost Zone. To go into the Ghost Zone, they would need to go down into his parent's lab. Danny hadn't been down there – nobody had been down there – since Dad had died. The only ones who had been down there since that day were the cleaners. Danny had avoided the stairs and the area around it. He couldn't _stand_ the thought of even approaching the lab. He would have to do it, though. He would do anything to save Dad.

"…Alright." Danny headed towards home. "This way."

They traveled in silence towards the Ops Center, the tension thick between them. Danny glanced over his shoulder at Youngblood once, but other than that, the teen was lost in his own world. It was almost a shock when he reached his home, the sudden realization of his surroundings jarring him out of his daze. He hovered for a moment, gaze angled upwards. He could hear Youngblood sigh impatiently behind him.

"Come on!" The young ghost snapped, before wincing and closing his mouth tightly. Danny again pushed down his irritation, and took a deep, steadying breath. Then he took another. And another. This was ridiculous. Closing his eyes, the teen dived down, knowing that he would end up in the lab. He stopped and opened his eyes just before he hit the ground. The sterile white tile of the lab stared up at him. Danny slowly straightened until he was floating completely upright. The lab, covered with a fine layer of dust, spread around him, Danny turned to the closed Portal. Youngblood floated down to stop next to him, and glided forward until he was a meter from the portal. He turned to look at Danny, scowling, then urged him to hurry up and repeated his order to 'come on'.

This was it. This was finally it. Danny had a chance to save Dad. Everything was going to be okay again. He wasn't sure what this 'Clockwork' ghost would do, but if he had the chance to change everything, to save everything, then he would do almost anything. He opened the portal and the ghosts floated through. The green expanse of the Ghost Zone opened up before them, cold and unearthly. There was silence today in the Zone. No ghosts floated around the portal entrance and Danny followed Youngblood, unhindered. The young ghost led Danny past doors and domains. Danny remained on his guard as he passed Skulker's island and kept an eye out for Walker. He didn't need trouble. He wasn't sure if he could keep control of himself and hold back if he was attacked. It he lost control, he would probably lose the fight. Luckily, neither ghost seemed to be around today. After travelling for a few minutes, Youngblood stopped, Danny barely managing to avoid running into the young ghost. Looking ahead, the teen saw a large tower, decorated with clocks. He glanced to the other ghost.

Youngblood nodded to the building. "That's Clockwork's lair." Danny blinked and looked again at the tower. He couldn't speak for a moment. This was it. Everything came down to this. Silently, he flew forward, barely noticing Youngblood flying away. It didn't matter. He was where he needed to be.

Carefully, the teen opened the door at the base of the tower and slipped through it. It closed loudly behind him. The room he'd entered was full of gears and was surrounded by screens. He stepped in further, taking a better look at the screens. They each showed a different scene of people and events that Danny didn't know. As he came into the center of the room, the screens all changed. Eyes widening in shock, Danny took in the new scenes – each of them featuring him. In one, the teen was in ghost form and leaning around a building corner. As Danny watched, the Danny in the mirror charged up and let off an ectoblast towards a motley group – one of them green, one part robot, and the other three in strange outfits. The screen Danny ducked back around the corner and fled. The scene replayed and Danny looked to another one. In this screen, Danny was laying, bruised and bloody, on a white tile floor. He struggled to rise, but his arms gave out. Finally, the onscreen Danny pushed himself to his feet – only to be yanked forward, out of view of the screen. Danny turned around to see another screen – Danny strapped to a metal table, writhing and screaming. The teen shuddered and turned his head away to see himself, again in ghost form, talking pleasantly with one of the boys he had thrown an ectoblast at earlier. The screen next to it showed Danny again, this time looking a little… off. He was jumpy and almost twitching. His eyes looked… blank. Danny, standing in the middle of the screens took a step back at the emptiness in the gaze – what _were_ these things!? He turned to another screen, this one seeming actually not so bad. Onscreen Danny was laughing, leaning over to playfully shove… somebody. The screens all changed to a swirling green, like the Ghost Zone's expanse, before Danny could see the other person.

"It is not wise to see possibilities of the future."

The voice came from behind Danny, deep and ageless, and the teen spun around. Across the room, a ghost floated, old and hunched. He held a staff in one hand and had some sort of clock around his neck. Danny swallowed and eyed the ghost. Was this Clockwork? It would make sense. Who else could it be? Danny hadn't heard anyone come in through the large door and, from the outside, it didn't look like there was another way into the tower. The other ghost floated closer and Danny fought the urge to take a step back, sudden nervousness welling up inside him. What if Clockwork refused? The ghost passed Danny and Danny stood facing the opposite direction for a second, gathering up his determination, before facing the other ghost.

The other ghost that was no longer there. In the old ghost's place hovered a tall, strong-looking ghost. It had the same hood, medallion, and staff, but stood straighter and unwrinkled. It stared apathetically at Danny, who was looking for words.

"Where– Who–?" Danny started, but was cut off.

"Who am I?" This ghost had the same voice as the other one, steady and knowing. "I am Clockwork, the ghost of Time."

Danny's eyes widened. The ghost of _Time_? Did that mean… Danny opened his mouth to ask Clockwork a question, but was cut off before he could say the first word.

"Yes, being the ghost of Time does mean I can control it." Before the teen's eyes, the man shifted to a child. When the kid spoke, though, he had the same ageless voice. "Past, present, and future."

"Please, I need your help." Danny didn't know how to ask, so he just blurted out his request, "I need you to help me fix something in the past. It shouldn't've happened. It was an accident, and it was my fault, and I _need_ to change it. Please, can you help me?"

The ghost simply stared at the teen. Danny felt his heart sink. This wasn't going how he wanted it to. The other ghost was supposed to agree, to tell him that he could, that it was possible!

"You can do that, right?" Danny heard the desperation in his own voice, but he didn't really care.

Clockwork still just _looked_ at him. Finally, he shifted again and responded, "I don't meddle in the past."

Danny felt his blood turn to ice. Clockwork wasn't going to help him? He _had_ to help Danny! He _had_ to get Dad back! "No, you don't understand! I _have_ to go back! It's all my fault and I have to fix it! It _can't _be this way, it's not supposed to be this way, he needs to be here, and I _need_ to fix this! I _have_ to save him! He's my Dad!" Danny's tone was clearly panicking. "_Please_, you _have_ to _help me_!"

Breathing hard, Danny felt physical pain as the other ghost turned his back.

"I cannot change the past."

The constant anger that ran through Danny swelled up, overcoming his desperation and panic. "You _can't_ or you _won't_!?" Danny knew he was yelling, but he didn't care. Who did this ghost think he was!? "What's the problem!? I thought you were the ghost of_ Time_! That you could _control_ time! Was that all a lie, a boast you can't carry out!? Or do you just _not care_!?"

The ghost shifted again, back into an old man. "You don't know the consequences that change could bring about."

"_I don't care!_"Danny shook his head. "I don't_ care_ what could happen! I just want _Dad back_!" The teen blinked furiously as his vision blurred slightly. After a moment of silence, the boy's shoulders slumped. The anger hardened into a cold rock of frustration, defeat, and loathing towards himself. "Fine." He could hear the bitterness in his tone. "If you won't do that, will you make it so the accident where I got my powers never happened?" If Clockwork did that, then Danny wouldn't have to worry about how he's hurt others. Dad would still be alive. It was, in his eyes, a great idea, one he was surprised he hadn't thought of earlier. This could work. Everything could be okay.

Clockwork shook his head.

No. That couldn't be it. This was Danny's last chance to make everything alright. It was all for nothing. It was all _useless_. Without another word, Danny sped from the tower, flying as fast as he could towards the entrance to the Fenton Portal. Everything he did was _useless_! He raced through the portal, angling upwards and flying up, out of the house. He settled in an alley near it and transformed, a single resolve in his mind as he slumped against a brick wall. Clockwork wouldn't take away Danny's powers, so Danny would figure out a way to do it himself.

* * *

Happy Christmas Eve! I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like.

Don't own DP or TT.

I suppose I lied about the preview for last time XD Well, next time:

_"We aren't finished yet."  
"You don't remember anything of this, do you?"  
"Your powers are growing at an extremely rapid  
rate."_


	3. Chapter 3

So, it's been forever since I updated. In truth, 2013 has been difficult. Not to mention, I slipped for a while into an apathetic, emotionless, lethargic, didn't want to do anything state. It's better now, but I still am having some issues with writer's block. Also, I'm not happy with this chapter at all, but it's the third draft and if I didn't post it now, I never would post it.

Thanks to my awesome beta, Rosalind2013! Also, thanks to one of my great RL friends, Rajana Stacey. She's pretty awesome and super amazing. If you want to check out her stuff, she has a Danny Phantom fic and a Merlin fic. /plug

**Previously**: Jack died. Vlad comes. Danny tries to get Clockwork to send him back in time and fails. He resolves to get rid of his powers.

* * *

"I don't want to see a counselor." Danny's voice was resolved. He and Jazz sat at the kitchen table, pamphlets scattered across the tabletop. Jazz frowned at him.

"Danny-"

"No," he cut her off. He knew she hated when he did that. Her frown turned into a scowl momentarily, then smoothed out into a resolved line. He sighed mentally. She hated when he did that. Her frown turned into a scowl momentarily, then smoothed out into a resolved line. He sighed mentally. She hadn't gotten distracted enough.

His sister started again. "Danny, just listen to me for a second."

"_No_, Jazz!" Danny ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. She _never listened_. She seemed to think she was always right and it drove him crazy. "I don't need a counselor, I don't want a counselor, I'm not seeing a counselor." He already knew his argument wouldn't work. Her face was steeled with determination, not wavering once.

"You need to talk to a counselor about what happened."

Feeling his eyes narrow, Danny replied, "There's nothing to talk about." He tried to inject as much determination into his voice as Jazz had used.

"Danny," a touch of sympathy tempered the hard edge in her voice, "you need to talk about…" she paused for a second. It looked like she was searching for the words. "About what you saw."

"Leave it, Jazz!" _She_ couldn't even say the words, but she expected him to talk about it with some stranger? Danny didn't think so. As he glared at her, he realized that she'd flinched back slightly. With a start, he noticed he was standing, hand on the table. He'd yelled and hit the table without realizing it. Blushing slightly, he leaned over to pick up the chair he'd been sitting on and knocked over. Straightening, he met Jazz's eyes and could tell that she was going to push the issue. She opened her mouth, and his phone rang. Sighing in relief, he grabbed the receiver.

"Hello? Oh, hey guys. Sure, I'll see you in a second."

He hung up and left the kitchen without looking at his sister. "I'm heading over to Tuck's."

"Danny, we're talking about this later!" Jazz called after him as he shut the door. For a second, he sagged against it before jumping off the stoop. Vlad's car wasn't at the curb, so he and Mom must still be at the bank. Apparently, Dad'd had a secret lockbox at the bank he hadn't told Mom about. She'd gone to get the contents and Vlad had gone with her, for moral support or something. Danny _really_ didn't know what to think about Vlad anymore. He'd been with Mom almost constantly this past week since Dad… Dad died, but he hadn't hit on her or anything. He'd acted… well, like Sam or Tucker were acting. Like a friend.

Danny shoved his hands into his pockets and walked down the street towards Tuck's. He was almost there when he felt the familiar frozen rush race through him. He gasped, his breath convalescing in front of him. He walked through it, ignoring the faint mist. He didn't bother knocking at Tucker's, just walked in and headed upstairs.

"Hey." Sam and Tuck looked up as Danny walked into the techno-geek's bedroom. He perched on the edge of the computer desk, before meeting Sam and Tucker's eyes. Sam lay on the bed, sprawled on her stomach, and Tucker sat in the chair that went with the desk.

"How's your mom feeling? Is Mr. Masters still around?" Amethyst eyes, full of concern, searched his.

Danny hadn't told his friends about Vlad and what happened in Wisconsin. He'd meant to, but it just never came up. Eventually, enough time'd passed that it would've been weird for him to bring it up. Besides, he'd thought that he wouldn't ever see Vlad again. All Sam and Tucker knew about him was that he was Mom and Dad's friend from college. Danny figured Vlad wouldn't be staying for too long, so there wasn't any need to worry them.

"Yeah, he is. Mom's… well, she's doing better. She's getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. She cleans a lot. I've never seen the house so spotless. She hasn't set foot in the lab, though."

"What about you?" Tucker lowered his PDA slightly as he queried the halfa.

Danny shrugged. "I've been better." It was hard. He didn't know how to act anymore. "Jazz wants me to see a counselor." The last sentence was said with a tone of disgust.

Tucker and Sam exchanged glances. Danny hated when they did that.

"Danny," Sam began cautiously, "Maybe she has a point."

Danny huffed, speaking with finality. "C'mon, let's play Doom."

* * *

The mouth of the alley loomed bright, a direct contrast to the light shadows that consumed half of the alleyway. Cars zoomed past occasionally, though not too often because it was a residential street. A mother and young blonde boy strolled along the sidewalk across the street. Danny leaned against a wall on the shadowed side of the backstreet, breathing heavily. The first thing to do would to probably go ask Tucker for advice. If anyone could find somehow to fix him, the techno geek could. Danny pushed off of the wall and took a couple steps onward. It was time to get to work and not delay this anymore. Danny's next step brought his forward progress to a stop. The teen looked down to see shards of brown glass littering the ground beneath and around his feet. They looked sharp, the bits in the sun gleaming, but they still shouldn't have gone through his… his shoes. He wasn't wearing shoes. He hadn't changed into day clothes that morning when he'd met Youngblood. Bare feet jutted out from purple pajama pants and Danny took a step back into the alley, hissing as he stepped on his left foot.

Gingerly, he balanced on his right foot, leaning against the brick wall, and brought up his left foot. A small trickle of blood leaked down to the side of his foot and Danny looked at the piece of glass sticking slightly out of his sole. He shouldn't have taken that second step backward. The glass would be so much easier to pull out if he hadn't shoved it in farther. He could get the bit out really easily, if he grabbed it with his fingers and turned that foot intangible, but that would involve using intangibility. Instead, Danny firmly gripped the glass and pulled it out slowly, biting down hard on his lip. It squelched slightly as Danny pulled it and he paled. It felt weird, the sensation of something inside his foot being pulled through and out. The shard finally came out, about the size of the top segment of his index finger, the top three-quarters red. Danny dropped it immediately and turned his attention back to his foot. The blood flow had increased, but not by too much. He'd probably be able to hobble on it, as long as he went carefully and slowly. He gently lowered his foot and gradually shifted his weight onto it. Pain spiked through his foot and he swiftly pulled it back up, off of the ground. This time, he set his weight deliberately on the outside rim of his foot so his foot was nearly sideways and took a step. It wasn't the most efficient way, but it would work.

Danny headed deeper into the alley with a few more practicing steps. He was slow, but he could move. Soft footsteps came from the other, darker end of the alley and he looked up to see who else was in there with him. He couldn't see the girl's face too well, but from what he could tell, she was a little shorter than average with dark hair cut very short. Her skin looked to be a beige or almond. She looked pretty, from what he could see, and Danny felt his face heat up at the memory that he was currently in his pajamas.

"Uh, hi." Danny smiled slightly at her. "I'm Danny. I'm not usually dressed like this, really."

She laughed slightly, an almost sad sound that made Danny hesitate. "Cute."

Danny bristled slightly at the words, but, again, the tone made him pause. There was something off about this girl and the way she was acting. It wasn't just the fact that she was in an alley, talking to Danny, but something in her voice and the way she shifted her weight slightly towards him. She stood, feet planted shoulder width apart and knees bent. Danny felt foreboding flood through him. He should get out. He should go. He took a shaky step backwards.

"Don't go yet," Danny stopped, the slightest thought that maybe he should listen to her nudging at his thoughts. "We aren't finished yet."

Danny took a half-step away, pushing aside the thought that said he should stay. There was something going on and Danny didn't want to know what it was. But… maybe he should stay. It couldn't hurt, could it?

"Actually," The voice was familiarly smooth and cultured, coming from the deeper shadows beneath the fire escape on the right, "You are." Danny's head snapped to the side as Vlad Plasmius stepped into view, the shadows in the alley seeming to become darker as he appeared. His eyes were hard and his voice was stern. What was Plasmius doing here? He wasn't supposed to be in Amity yet! Danny thought that he was doing business in California today, though that apparently wasn't true. Danny readied himself to transform if he needed to, then glanced back at the girl. He couldn't give away his secret, not in front of a stranger. Plasmius had planned this well. Danny wouldn't be able to get out of the alley before one of them could stop him, and he couldn't change in front of this girl. He was trapped.

Danny turned his glare back to Plasmius. The man wasn't looking at him, though, instead still looking at the girl in front of Danny. The sound of a step brought Danny's attention to the girl as well. She had backed up, watching Plasmius warily. Plasmius lifted his chin slightly, almost challengingly, and the girl let out a barely audible breath. She looked over to Danny once more, but turned and walked quickly out of the alley as Plasmius took a deliberate step in her direction. The man's stood there until the girl had been out of sight for a few seconds. Danny stood stiff, waiting for Plasmius to turn on him. Uneasy disbelief filled him as dark rings appeared around the man's waist, changing him into Vlad.

He turned to look at Danny, a tired, exasperated smile on his face. "Hello, Daniel. Do I dare ask why you found it appropriate to be attired only in your pajamas?"

Danny didn't return the smile. Instead, he crossed his arms and scowled. "What do you want, _Plasmius_?" Surprise crossed the older man's face. Danny didn't buy it. Vlad being here wasn't a coincidence, Danny just knew it. He should never have trusted the man to be around Mom and Jazz, never trusted the man to have changed. "And what was that about?" Danny had more questions, but the teen held them back. One at a time would work better then all of them at once. That way, Vlad wouldn't be able to only answer the questions he felt like answering.

"Daniel, calm down." Vlad's tone was placating and disapproving, only making Danny bristle more. Yeah, Plasmius appears out of nowhere, chases away a strange girl, doesn't tell Danny _anything_ important, and expects him to be calm? Yeah, right.

"Who was that, and what was that about?" Danny glared at the older man, daring him to evade the questions. Instead of fighting or getting angry, like Danny expected him to, the halfa shrugged, frowning thoughtfully.

"I don't know exactly who she was, Daniel. But, trust me," His tone darkened as he stared down the alleyway, "Her intentions towards you were not benign." In the shadows, Danny could see the man's eyes gleaming red. It chilled Danny, as the sight always did, but it was strange to see it directed at someone other than him. In fact, Vlad hadn't so much as glared at him in the past two weeks. It was so messed up. Then again, everything in his life was now.

"_Should_ I trust you?" Vlad's wide eyes snapped over to meet Danny's.

"What? Daniel, do you even need to ask that?" The man seemed genuinely hurt. Danny wasn't buying it. Vlad was a good actor. The circumstances were just too much for him to let go of without a proper explanation.

"Let's see. You're here. You aren't telling me what's going on, and that whole… whatever it was was weird. So, I'll ask you again. What do you want, Plasmius?" Vlad sighed. It wasn't angry sounding, so Danny relaxed his guard a bit.

"Fine." That was… unexpected. Surprising. Not at all what Danny thought would happen. Vlad explaining something without gloating about having the upper hand was something that had never happened before. There had to be a catch. "There was a business dispute with someone I've been working with and he threatened you. I've dealt with the–"

"Wait," Danny interrupted, "He threatened me? Why would he threaten me?" Danny's pulse sped up, his palms becoming sweaty, and his stomach twisting. "Does he know? Did you tell him something!?"

Vlad was shaking his head. "He doesn't know anything about your secret. Anyway, I've dealt with the situation, so it won't happen again, and I flew back here to make sure that the person he had already sent did not succeed in taking you. I saw the glowing and headed over here."

Danny opened his mouth to ask again why they would want _him_ when something else the man said caught his attention. "Glowing? What glowing? Nothing was glowing." He searched his mind. Nothing had been glowing. Not anything that he had noticed, anyway. Well, the alley had gotten darker when Vlad stepped out, but that was just… it wasn't… real. It had just been a trick of his mind, or a trick of the light. Or maybe the trick of the light _had_ been light going away.

Vlad was looking down the alley in the direction the girl had left again. "Her eyes were glowing. Her fingers were too, as she was reaching for you."

What? "She wasn't reaching for me!" Vlad turned to look at him, a concerned frown on his face.

"Daniel, she was about to grab your arm before I interrupted her grasp. If I hadn't done that, she would've had you." Vlad's frown darkened as his eyes darted to the side. "I barely missed her."

Danny followed Vlad's stare to the bricks of the alley where a dark scorch mark that had definitely not been there a few minutes ago. Danny gaped at it. "What? You tried to shoot her?"

Vlad furrowed his brow as he met Danny's gaze. "You don't remember anything of this, do you?"

Danny didn't answer, looking back to the scorch mark with wide eyes. He didn't want to trust Vlad. He'd admit it. He'd promised himself that he'd give Vlad a chance, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. The scorch mark on the wall spoke for itself, though. He wanted to fight, to argue against the man, and drive him away from his family for good. He couldn't do that, though. That thought was enough to pull up his anger again, though he fought to push it down. Not answering would be the best idea at the moment, he decided. Instead, Danny turned to walk away. He didn't get more than a step before he stumbled, having forgotten about his cut foot. Gentle hands caught him, one reaching across his chest to his arm and the other catching his shoulder. Danny jerked backwards and away, stepping on the outside of his foot again.

"What did you do to your foot?" Vlad's voice was stern, not helping with Danny's temper at all. He clenched his fist, looking away.

"It's none of your business." Light footsteps approached him and he closed his fingers tighter. Why couldn't Vlad just _leave_? Why did he have to hang around? What he came for was done.

"You were bleeding."

Danny frowned, looking down to his foot. Wouldn't he _still_ be bleeding? The sole of his foot was red and black, covered in blood and dirt from the sideway. He couldn't tell without looking closer, so, with a wary glance at Vlad, the teen hobbled to the wall of the alley and lifted his foot again. Vlad was right. Danny's eyes roamed over the skin, looking for the cut. He thought it had been just above his heel, but he couldn't find it. The skin, other than being dirty, looked perfect and unbroken. The boy prodded the area and then pulled back his hand, grunting in pain through gritted teeth. He couldn't find the wound, but it hurt as badly as if the glass was still in his foot.

"Impressive." Danny jolted in surprise. He hadn't heard Vlad's approach. The man was examining Danny's foot as well. "It looks as though you've developed your healing abilities. Your powers are growing at an extremely rapid rate."

At his words, Danny felt sick. "Wait. This is part of the ghost half?" Vlad glanced up at him, probably at the tone in his voice, before looking down to the area of where the injury had been.

"Yes. You've probably noticed that your injuries received in battle as a ghost heal extremely quickly, almost immediately, and never transfer when you transform? After a time, a version of this ability cultivates in your human form. Think of it as a layer of water, running around your body at all times. It heals anything superficial quickly and even prevents some things, like sunburns. Then, if you have a deeper cut, like this one, it will heal from the outside in. The downside to this, though, is that the site of the damage will be much more tender than it would be if it was healing normally as it heals and a while afterwards, like a lingering bruise." Vlad straightened. "It's quite a useful ability, though painful. Bruises fade overnight. Broken or more severe damage takes longer and sometimes needs medical intervention to heal properly, like a broken bone that needs to be set."

Danny closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Is there any way to turn it off?"

He could hear the surprise in the halfa's tone and guessed it was most likely written across the man's face. "Why would I try to do that?" Of course, Vlad _Plasmius_ would never dream of letting go of his ghost powers. He loved every second of them. He had no idea of the problems they could cause because he just didn't care. Or maybe, the man was just lucky and had never had to worry about how his actions had hurt people he cared about. Danny doubted that Vlad had cared about too many people over the years other than Mom. Danny shook his head in answer to Vlad's question. He wasn't going to explain it to _him_. Just because it turned out that Vlad hadn't given Danny a reason to distrust him didn't mean that Danny liked the man. Carefully, Danny set his foot on the ground. He'd just have to be careful on his way home.

He took a few steps forward. He was slow, but he could do this. He headed towards the mouth of the alley. His house was only three blocks away. This wouldn't be too bad. One hand on the wall, Danny hobbled ahead, but closed his eyes in irritation at the voice _still_ talking to him.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" The words weren't demanding or angry, merely incredulous, but Danny's fist still clenched and his eyes narrowed. Was Vlad trying to tell him what to do _again_!? Danny was so sick of this. He was sick of Vlad hanging around and sick of people telling him what he could and couldn't do. He turned slightly to glare at Vlad from beneath his fringe.

"I'm walking. Is there a problem with that?" He spat, so tired. He just wanted to go back to sleep. He just wanted to fall back into that unconsciousness and let it take away all his anger and sadness. No matter how much he slept, though, he still felt exhausted. Nothing worked. If only he could just go to sleep and never wake up. It would be so much easier than what he had to deal with here. Sleep was mindless and easy. Nothing to worry about, no one to take care of. Danny couldn't do that, though. He couldn't do it to his family and friends, no matter how easy it would be. Danny had to keep going, keep getting out of bed for them.

He didn't want to listen to Vlad's answer. He wanted to just keep walking and pretend that nothing had ever happened. He wouldn't, though. He'd be civil, for Mom. "Daniel, you are in your pajamas and your foot is still sore. Why don't you fly home?"

Because he wasn't a soulless ghost who didn't care about anyone else. "I don't want to." After a moment of silence, Danny hobbled forwards again.

A flash of cold light washed over him and he began to turn in alarm but frigid hands seized his shoulders. The teen's eyes widened and he tried to twist out of the hold, but he felt the empty feeling of intangibility wash over him and his feet left the ground. Eyes wide as the ground grew smaller beneath him, Danny realized that this must be what his friends felt whenever he flew them – insecure and not in control. Danny didn't like the feeling. The ground literally _blurred_ beneath them and they were in his room a second later. Danny stumbled as he regained his balance, disoriented, then turned to Vlad.

"What is your _problem!?_" Danny shouted as loud as he dared. He didn't want to bring Mom or Jazz up here. Vlad shimmered back into visibility, confusion crossing his face.

"What's wrong, Daniel?" The teens eyes flashed. How dare Vlad act like he hadn't done anything!?

"What do you think is wrong!? You grabbed me and took me somewhere! Since when has that not been considered bad!? Usually, it's called _kidnapping_, you _insane frootloop_!" The words burned as they left his mouth. Danny had never spoken the phrase with such malice before. It was something he said in exasperation or mild irritation, not with true malevolence. In response to the term, Vlad's eyes burned brighter, before he noticeably pushed down his reaction. The man opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally, he shook his head.

"Don't, Danny. Just don't." His voice was tight, almost dangerous. Danny just continued to glower at the halfa. The teen watched him swallow hard, before continuing. "Alright, then, Daniel. I apologize for trying to help." Without another word, he was gone.

Danny stood tense for another few seconds before his shoulders slumped. He thought that he was finally alone now. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his bed. The mattress tempted him, but Danny turned his back on it. He was going to go to Tucker's. He needed to. His movements were automatic as he changed and pulled out his cell phone, dialing the techno-geek. He picked up after the second ring.

"Hey, Danny. What's up?" Tuckers voice sounded a little off and Danny realized with a bit of uncomfortableness that this was the first time he'd talked to Tucker since he snapped at Sam yesterday. Danny had almost forgotten completely about that. He cleared his throat slightly.

"Hey, Tuck. Are you busy right now?"

"Um, no. I'm not." The hesitation was clear, but Danny chose to ignore it.

"Great! I'll be over in a second." Inserting cheer into his voice, Danny turned to pull out a shirt and jeans from his dresser drawer, shifting the phone to his other hand.

"Dude, are you okay?" Danny stopped, sighing.

"I'm fine. I just need your help." His mom would be the best person to go to for information on ghosts, along with Vlad, but Danny had no plans to go to either. The next step would be the internet, and Tucker was an expert at technology.

If that didn't work… there were always the inventions in the basements, currently unused, that Danny could try. There was the Ghost Dreamcatcher, or Dad had made those gloves, those 'Ghost Gauntlets', Danny thought they were called, not too long ago. Those would probably work.

He'd try anything.

* * *

Please tell me what you think. I've been terrified to post this because it's so well liked and I want it to be the best. I've had an amazing reception and I thank you all for how awesome you've all been =D It makes me so happy whenever I see my favourites, follows, and reviews, not to mention views. Thank you so much! I love you guys =) In an 'non-threatening way' ;) Am I insane? *holds up thumb and index finger* Oh, a little bit, great.

Let me know what you liked and didn't like and what you think I could do better and thanks for all the feedback so far! =D Have a great day!


	4. Chapter 4

_Just to let you know, this chapter is unbeta-ed and ends oddly. It's also short. There is a good reason for that though. I'm considering rewriting what I have of this fic so far. I think I started it too early in the plot/story, and there is too much exposition (and drama XD ). I'd love to hear your opinion on the matter. I don't know when it will be up, as I'm currently working on it. Let me know what you think: rewrite or continue as is?_

* * *

Tucker wasn't much help. He'd mostly tried to talk Danny out of all his ideas to get rid of his powers. At first, Danny had tried to think of any of his parent's inventions that could help. Danny had been split by their Dreamcatcher a few weeks before, but Danny didn't like how he acted as a human when split. He wanted to be without his ghost powers, not a different person. He didn't want to be just a shell. The only other thing Danny could think of that might be able to help would be his dad's Ghost Gauntlets. They could be used to grab a ghost and they might be able to use them on Danny, to reach inside him and pull out his ghost side. They would be perfect.

Unfortunately, as Tucker pointed out, they didn't know how to turn the gauntlets on, much less how to control them. Tucker tried to convince him to put the thought to rest entirely, as he had been trying to persuade Danny to do all evening, but Danny felt it was their best bet. He agreed to leave it as a backup. At some point between the Gauntlets and searching the internet, Danny had asked where Sam was. Apparently, according to Tucker, she was busy showing some exchange student from Hungary around. Sam had done the same thing yesterday, after they'd all separated.

"I wonder if she's hot," Tucker speculated dreamily, "With a hot accent."

"You'll think she's hot no matter what," Danny'd replied with a smirk.

Tucker had grinned. "You're right. She's from Hungary, all Hungarian women are hot!" Danny had rolled his eyes and got back to what was important right now: getting rid of his powers.

Tucker sat on his bed, on his PDA, as Danny took over his friend's computer. Searching 'getting rid of ghosts' brought up websites for priests, salt and sage, mediums, the Ghostbusters, and nothing that was useful to Danny. Ghost DNA was similarly unusable, talking about bacterial ghosts, whatever those were. Finally, Danny typed in the search 'changing DNA'. A link for information about genetic engineering came up. He clicked on it. "**Genetic engineering**, **genetic modification (GM)**, and **gene splicing** (once in widespread use but now deprecated) are terms for the process of manipulating genes in an organism…" were the first words on the page. After looking at the contents, he skipped down to 'Genetic engineering and research' and skimmed the section. It didn't have any names of places involved. The links at the bottom weren't helpful either. He searched 'genetic engineering lab', but it came up with results on animals. Maybe genetic research lab would work better.

"Hey, Tucker," Danny asked, not looking away from the search results, "Have you ever heard of something called 'S.T.A.R. Labs'?"

"Star Labs? Like, space?" Danny heard Tucker's mattress creak and the boy's steps heading towards him. He slowly shook his head.

"Like," he began to read from the screen, "Scientific and Technological Advanced Research."

"What are you looking up?" Tucker sounded uneasy.

Danny clicked on the link. It brought up a website laid out in sleek white and blue.

"Danny?"

"Genetic Research," Danny replied distractedly as he skimmed the page. He heard Tucker make an odd sound behind him and begin coughing. He quickly stood and thumped the other boy on the back.

"Are you insane?" Tucker gasped out. He coughed one last time and took a step back to look at Danny. "Dude, what are you thinking? A research lab!?"

Danny blinked. "A _genetics_ research lab," he emphasized.

"Even worse!" Tucker was incredulous. "Dude, what is your problem? You want to get _experimented_ on!?"

Danny shook his head hastily. "What? No!"

"Then why are you looking up a _research_ lab?"

"Well, they might have information."

"How are you going to get their information!? They aren't just going to put it up on the internet!"

Danny opened his mouth, then closed it again. Bringing a hand up, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He hadn't thought of that. Tucker always seemed to find out so much information on the internet, he _had_ just assumed the research would be there. "You sure?" He tried weakly. He then shook his head at Tucker's expression. "Fine!" He closed the window on the computer. He'd look it up at home. He slumped back into the chair. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"How about you stop trying to get rid of your powers?" Tucker said seriously.

Danny huffed. "I wish Clockwork had just made it so I never went into the portal." The portal. The _portal_. Danny shot up, eyes wide. "Duh! The portal! It gave me my powers and it can take them away!"

The blood seemed to drain from Tuck's face and he gaped at Danny. "What?"

"I can just go in the portal and turn it on again!" Danny was getting excited now. "It will reverse everything!"

Tucker had started shaking his head as Danny talked, slowly at first, but getting quicker. "No! Dude, you almost _died_ last time! You can't do that!"

"It'll be fine," Danny waved him off.

"_No!_ What if it just kills you the rest of the way? You don't know it'll reverse the procedure!" The teen was breathing quickly.

Danny opened his mouth, then blinked and frowned. "Tucker, it's okay."

"No, it's not!"

"Tucker –" Tucker was looking really panicked now, but before Danny could reassure him, the door swung open to reveal Tucker's mother. Danny looked up at her over Tucker's shoulder.

"Sorry, Danny, but it's dinnertime. I'd invite you to stay, but Tucker's dad is home tonight. Do you need me to give you a ride home?"

Danny glanced at Tucker, then back to her. "Thanks, Mrs. Foley, but I'm okay walking." She smiled at him, still standing there. He glanced back at Tucker, forcing an encouraging smile. "I'm fine, Tuck. Really." He passed Mrs. Foley and headed down the stairs. He could hear Mrs. Foley talking to Tucker as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"We're having steak for dinner, Tucker." He opened the door, pausing slightly as he heard Mrs. Foley ask Tucker if he was alright. Sighing, he closed the door behind him. Tucker would understand.

It wasn't anything that could go wrong, Danny was sure. He shuddered remembering the pain, but thinking of Dad and what happened helped solidify his decision. What if because of him, Mom got hurt? Or Jazz? Vlad could get hurt, Danny was fine with that, but he didn't want what was left of his family hurt because of him. Maybe Tucker was right, and there was a chance, but it was small at best, right?

He got to the end of the street and turned left instead of right. He needed to think about this, and Mom wasn't expecting him back until curfew in an hour and a half.

It could be a small chance, but it could be a large one. The first time he was in the portal and it turned on, it had hurt so much. He'd thought he was dead, or going to die, at least. It had been absolutely terrifying. The electricity and ectoplasm coursing through his system… He had blacked out as it increased, but remembered how much it had hurt at first and how… worn he'd felt afterwards. He'd woken up as he fell from the portal. It had been terrifying, opening his eyes with no idea of what was going on except that he was rushing towards the ground. He'd caught himself on his hands and knees, vision graying at the edges again at the jar on his already raw nerves, and his left arm had given out. He hadn't had the energy to hold himself up and had landed on his side, rolling over as he passed out again. He'd woken up again, not sure how long afterwards, feeling only slightly better, though he was able to move. It had been a shock to see himself. He'd since gotten used to the sight and, more recently, begun to hate it. Maybe it was for the best he used the portal to get rid of his ghost side.

Tucker's words came back to him and he frowned. If only Tuck hadn't _said_ that. Danny had thought he'd found the perfect solution, but now he wasn't so sure. It couldn't be _that_ big of a chance, could it? Maybe he shouldn't try it. Maybe he should leave it as a last resort. Well, if that was a last resort, then what was left? Did he have any other plan? He supposed he could always call STAR Labs and say he was calling for a project or something.

The mall came into sight a little ways ahead of him and he sighed. He should probably turn around and head back home. He'd lost track of time thinking and it was already nine-thirty. He glanced across the street to see if any cars were coming, or if was safe to cross the street, but his eyes were caught by a familiar figure standing under the street light. He froze as he saw Sam, across the street, with a tall guy in white kissing her, and Sam reaching her arms around the guy's neck and kissing him back. Danny gaped, hurt and betrayal flaring deep in his chest. Sam moved up on her toes, bringing her closer to the other boy's face.

Danny turned and ran back the way he'd come, pain tearing a hole in his chest. He couldn't believe it. How could she _do_ that? How could she _do that_!? His eyes pricked and anger pushed up at the feeling. How could she do that to him? He'd _trusted_ her, he'd…

He'd _liked_ her, he realized. He laughed slightly, still angry. Of course, _now_ he would figure out how he felt about her. Life just wasn't fair, was it? And who had that other guy been? Danny had never seen him before. Was _he_ the exchange student Tucker had mentioned Sam was showing around? Oh, wasn't that just great! Danny wasn't sure when he'd started to like Sam, but he'd only realized it now, when that guy had been around for, what, a day, and he'd already decided that he was interested in Sam? That _jerk_! He couldn't believe that he had been kissing Sam. He had been _kissing_ her! Didn't they get to know girls before just _kissing_ them in Hungary?

He took a breath, trying to calm down as he paused outside of his house. He was already late for his curfew, a few minutes to make sure he didn't snap at Jazz or _Vlad_, if he was there, wouldn't hurt. After a minute, Danny gave it up as a lost cause and opened his front door. He stepped in, ready to head up to his room, but noticed Mom sitting uncomfortably on the couch, looking everywhere but at him.

"Danny, sweetie, can I talk to you?"

Danny swallowed, glanced around for Vlad, then sat down on the other couch. "Yeah?" He tried to sound normal, but his voice was tight and stiff. Mom's eyes darted over to meet his, then just as quickly looked away. Danny frowned mentally as he noticed the alarm he'd seen in them. Was he scaring Mom? Crap, were his eyes green? He didn't think so, but he blinked hard just in case.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, the atmosphere becoming more tense by the moment. Danny shifted slightly in his seat. Mom finally sighed.

"Danny," she began, licking her lips and looking at the coffee table, "How are you, sweetheart?"

That wasn't quite what Danny had expected her to say. "I'm fine."

"Honey, you know if you ever need anything, or want to talk, or feel upset, you can talk to me, right?" She looked up at him as she asked, holding his gaze. Danny nodded and she glanced down at her hands.

"Is everything okay, Mom?" Danny ventured. He had no idea what this was about.

"Do…" Mom faltered. She took a deep breath. "I got a call from Tucker's mom, sweetheart. She said that Tucker was worried that you were going to- going to hurt yourself. Using the portal."

Danny almost couldn't believe it. "What?"

"I've taken down the portal." Shock rushed through Danny and his eyes widened, the anger he'd felt at Sam reemerging and turning to Tucker. How could he do this? It was Danny's choice, not Tucker's! Tucker had just taken Danny's best chance to get rid of his powers! It was true that Danny hadn't planned on doing it, but that didn't matter then. Right then, he was angry that Tucker had taken _Danny's_ decision into his own hands and made the choice for Danny.

He closed his eyes hard and quickly opened just in case his anger showed. He did his best to push his expression into neutrality, though he wasn't sure if he succeeded. "For- for the move?"

Mom opened and closed her mouth. "Danny, maybe Jazz was right about a counselor-"

"I'm fine," Danny asserted. "I'm not crazy and I don't need to see a shrink."

"Danny, I never said you were crazy, sweetheart. I just… You're taking your father's death really hard, and that's understandable, all things considered, I just think it might be good to talk to someone about it. Talk about what you've been feeling, and what you saw, and how you feel now. It could really help you. I'm worried about you, honey."

Danny forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Really, I don't need to talk to anybody."

* * *

"Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories, how may I help you?"

Danny hesitated for a second, swallowing, before he replied. "Hi. Er- Hello. Um, I was wondering if you had any information on –" He paused as his mind went blank trying to remember any of the terms he'd read last night. "Er, on gene splicing?"

"May I ask who is calling?" The tone was slightly irritated, though still polite.

"Oh, I'm, I'm doing a school project on… uh, genetic research and I figured you guys would have the best information."

The person on the other end of the line's voice warmed slightly. "I see. Well, what would you like to know?"

"Uh," Well, he was getting somewhere, at least. "Gene splicing? Or taking one part of your DNA and changing it?"

"Chromosome isolation?" The words sounded distant and were muttered quietly, though Danny could still hear them. "Hmm." The voice spoke up. "I'm sorry, I can't give you any information concerning that. Is there anything else?"

Danny sighed. "No, thanks." He ended the call, the change clattering into the tray beneath the phone. Well, there went that option. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed down the street to the Nasty Burger. _Vlad_ was coming over sometime that day and Danny didn't want to be around the man. He didn't have anyone to meet and hang out with there, as he was currently annoyed at Tucker and Sam was furious with him.

"Danny!"

He turned at the sound of his name, but he didn't see anyone behind him.

"Danny!"

This time he looked further down the street to see Valerie running towards him. She waved as she caught his attention and he waved back, a smile lighting his face. Val slowed down as she neared him, huffing slightly.

"Hey, Danny," She smiled at him, "How are you?"

Danny smiled back. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good." She glanced over her shoulder. "Are you going to the Nasty Burger to meet Sam and Tucker?"

Danny shook his head. "I'm not meeting them there. I was just going on my own."

"Well," Valerie turned so they were side by side, "I just got my paycheck from there and, since I've put in so much overtime, instead of paying me, they gave me a bunch of gift certificates. Want lunch?" She looked straight ahead as she asked him this, a slight blush colouring her face.

Danny also looked straight ahead as he replied, "Sure." His cheeks tinted red slightly as well and he glanced at Valerie out of the corner of his eye, catching her looking at him. His blush grew darker and he looked for another thing to talk about as they walked. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, since-" She stopped, but Danny knew that she was thinking of the funeral three weeks ago. "So, how are you? Did Mr. Masters stay long?"

Danny half-laughed. "He hasn't left for more than a few days."

Val looked surprised. "Really? He's so busy, I'd think he'd be back to running his business as soon as possible."

"He's been running his business from here and flying back and forth to different meetings. Vlad and Mom were friends in college, so he's been here to support her. It's a little weird, but I've sort of gotten used to him around." Danny shook his head. "Okay, that's really weird. I don't even _like_ him. I wish he'd leave us alone, but Mom's happier with him around, so…" He shrugged, trailing off. Valerie nodded slightly.

"I see. Sort of." The last phrase was muttered, though Danny caught it. They chatted amiably the rest of the way to The Nasty Burger. Danny paused slightly as he walked into the restaurant and caught sight of Sam and _Gregor_ sitting at a table. Valerie began to asked him why he'd stopped, so he grabbed her wrist and sped walk to the counter.

"Let's order, quickly, and sit as far away from the entrance as possible." They stopped behind a few people at the counter and Val turned to look behind them.

"There's Sam!" Val said with a smile, before her tone turned curious, "Who's she with?"

Danny chanced a glance behind him, only to catch sight of Sam, who had noticed him, glaring angrily at him. He swallowed and turned back to look at the menu.

* * *

_Told you it ended oddly. Again, let me know your thoughts on the matter: rewrite or continue as it? I love (and listen to) feedback and definitely take it into consideration for writing. Whichever side people want the most, I will do. So, what do you want, rewrite or continue as is?_


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